My Crazy Upgrade System

Yi Tianyun gave him a meaningful look. ’Just as I’d expect from the Cyan Profound Mansion, pretending to know something he doesn’t. Isn’t he just trying to show off in front of the two young ladies?’ If it were someone from another faction, Yi Tianyun really wouldn’t have cared, but the Cyan Profound Mansion was a different story. And on top of that, they were so arrogant!

"Is that so? Then could you tell us what’s written on it?" Yi Tianyun tapped the stone tablet. There wasn’t much carved on it—basically just a single line of text. But none of them could understand it. The script was crooked and twisted, like a slithering snake; how could anyone possibly read it?

"Are you an idiot? How can you just say something that must be comprehended personally? Haven’t you ever heard that some things can only be understood, not explained?" Qing Liuyun said with a sneer. "If you’re so capable, why don’t you comprehend it yourself and tell us what you find!"

Yu Shiqian and Zhao Yu both frowned. What Qing Liuyun said wasn’t wrong, and they felt Yi Tianyun had been a bit rash. It was true that some things could only be intuited, not explained in words. Besides, even if Qing Liuyun knew something, why would he be obligated to share it?

Yi Tianyun stared at Qing Liuyun as if he were looking at an idiot. He tapped the stone tablet and chuckled, "My apologies, but I happen to know exactly what’s written here. Not only do I know, I can even say it out loud for you to hear."

Yu Shiqian and Zhao Yu’s eyes lit up, though they couldn’t tell if Yi Tianyun was telling the truth or just bluffing.

Qing Liuyun’s pupils constricted. Suspecting Yi Tianyun was bluffing, he sneered, "Alright, then. If you’ve got the guts, spit it out. What does it say?"

"Of course. The script engraved here isn’t one we normally use, which I’m sure all of you have realized. It’s actually a rather ancient script, the language of the Spirit Race, so it’s perfectly normal that you can’t understand it. Let me tell you what it says. The inscription is very simple; it basically reads ’Tomb of the Illusory Zither.’ Below that is the name of the one who erected the tablet, an expert by the name of ’Thundercloud.’"

Yi Tianyun looked at Qing Liuyun with feigned surprise, shaking his head. "I must say, my friend, you’re truly skilled! To think you could comprehend something so profound from a simple tombstone, and benefit greatly from it, no less! I, for one, can’t see anything of value. Call me slow, I guess. After all, what can you possibly learn from a gravestone? A Heaven-tier Martial Arts?"

He wasn’t making this up. He had seen this script before at Merak Palace. Finding it obscure and difficult, he had taken the time to study it. While he couldn’t claim to understand it completely, he could read the majority of it without issue.

"You... you’re spouting nonsense!" Qing Liuyun’s face flushed red. He would rather die than admit Yi Tianyun was right. If what Yi Tianyun said was true, it would make him look like a complete fool. Comprehending profound secrets from a mere tombstone? That would be beyond bizarre.

"Nonsense?" Yi Tianyun smiled faintly. "If I’m spouting nonsense, feel free to slap me. I promise I won’t fight back. Just use your head for a second. If this tablet were truly precious, someone would have carted it off long ago. This place may be perilous, but that doesn’t mean no one ever comes here. And while the Spirit Race language is rare, some people do understand it. Don’t believe me? Go find one of them and ask. Do you really think you can perceive some great fortuitous encounter from this? If you can, you must be an absolute genius... yes, a true genius, to derive insights from a simple tombstone!"

After his explanation, Yu Shiqian and Zhao Yu found his words highly credible. ’Does that mean Qing Liuyun was just putting on an act all along?’

"Good. Very good!" Qing Liuyun seethed. "Always resorting to petty tricks. You think anyone will believe you just because you said so!"

"Whether anyone believes me or not, I can’t say. You all can take your time ’comprehending.’ I’ll be on my way." Yi Tianyun smiled faintly. "Studying a tombstone so intently... are you hoping to speed up your own journey into a coffin?"

With that, he couldn’t be bothered with them any longer and strode forward, leaving them behind.

Qing Liuyun’s face turned cold. As he watched Yi Tianyun’s retreating back, his eyes filled with murderous intent!

Qing Liuyun said no more, turning back to Yu Shiqian with a faint smile. "Shi, don’t listen to his nonsense. This tablet is no tombstone at all..." He tried to invent another explanation, but he was at a loss for words.

"Whether it is or not is no longer important. I’ll ask someone from the Spirit Race to take a look at it later." Yu Shiqian said to Zhao Yu, "Junior Sister Zhao, let’s go. We can check other places... That’s strange. There are no Demon Beasts here. I thought there were supposed to be quite a few?"

Ignoring Qing Liuyun and Xiao Jianren, the two women turned and walked away, no longer willing to bother with them.

Qing Liuyun watched them leave, then viciously crushed the fan in his hand and tossed it aside, a cold light glinting in his eyes.

"Big Brother, I can’t take this anymore..." Xiao Jianren’s eyes blazed with fury; his rage toward Yi Tianyun had reached its absolute limit!

"Some people just have a death wish. Crossing me is a one-way ticket to the grave!" Qing Liuyun raged. "Go surround him! We’ll make him understand the consequences of provoking us!"

...

’A tombstone, huh? Looks like there’s a graveyard in this area. I wonder where it is?’ Yi Tianyun thought as he searched the island’s forest, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

He had only taken a few steps before he stopped, glanced ahead, and said calmly, "No need to hide. Come on out."

"So you do have some skill," Xiao Jianren remarked as he stepped out from the path ahead.

Then, Qing Liuyun emerged from behind, blocking his escape. Both men’s eyes blazed with a towering rage that seemed ready to erupt.

"Is there a problem?" Yi Tianyun asked, glancing up at them.

"Of course there’s a problem! We’re here to show you the consequences of messing with us!"

The moment he finished speaking, Xiao Jianren stomped on the ground and charged at Yi Tianyun, short sword in hand. A powerful force erupted from his legs, causing the earth to sink slightly beneath his feet.

"Celestial Tiger Stomp!"

Xiao Jianren seemed to transform into a massive, winged Celestial Tiger as he pounced toward Yi Tianyun. His steps were erratic—sometimes light, sometimes heavy—leaving footprints of varying depths in the ground. He charged like a savage beast, and his attack was the pounce of a predator!

ROAR!

Spiritual Power erupted from him, and the phantom of a Celestial Tiger materialized at his back, lunging toward Yi Tianyun. The short sword in his hand glinted with a deathly white light, aimed straight for Yi Tianyun’s life!

Yi Tianyun didn’t counterattack immediately. He simply stood his ground, not even taking a defensive stance. All his attacks were instantaneous bursts of power, making his movements impossible for his enemies to predict.

"Just die!"

Xiao Jianren’s face twisted in a savage snarl as he viciously stabbed downward with his short sword. But in that same instant, Yi Tianyun moved even faster. He snatched Xiao Jianren’s arm and, with lightning speed, slammed him into the ground!

"Get down!"

It was another shoulder throw. The sheer force of the brutal slam was so ferocious that it could have suppressed even a Celestial Tiger!

BAM!

Xiao Jianren was smashed heavily into the ground. The short sword fell from his loosened grip, and the sheer impact made his eyes roll back in his head. How could someone of his level possibly withstand such a savage slam? This was especially true now that Yi Tianyun had broken through to the third level of the Spirit Pill Stage. His strength was even more astonishing; he didn’t even need to unleash his Dragon God Bloodline to crush them with ease!